There are many available formulations of kitten food to purchase for your new feline friend. The best type of food to feed is a small kibble that your kitten chews in his or her back teeth. The harder kibble help to keep your cat’s oral health at its best and avoids the excessive calories found in canned food. Kittens should be fed a kitten formulation until they have been spayed or neutered. At this point, their metabolism goes through a transition and they require the fewer calories that are provided in adult formulations.

Kittens need to be fed three times a day until they reach 12 weeks of age. Then, the midday feeding can be stopped and they can be fed once or twice daily. I prefer that cats are meal fed rather than fed free choice because of obesity problems in the general feline population. Meal feeding allows you to measure how much your cat is eating. It also can be helpful should you have multiple cats in one household and one pet requires a prescription diet.

Many pet owners associate meal time as a display of affection to their cats. I would encourage you to promote active play with toys or a laser light or cuddle time as a replacement to meal time affection. This can help you avoid being awakened earlier and earlier every morning and also maintain your feline companion at a healthy weight to assure a long and full-filling life.